Sweet Dreams
by LadyKisara
Summary: While staying at an inn, a loud storm keeps fractured Milla and Elle awake, so maybe a bedtime story is not a bad idea after all.


I stood in the hallway and closed my eyes, letting myself listen to the noise of the raindrops falling outside and hitting the inn's windows. It was late and all the others around me were probably deep asleep in their beds, but I couldn't let my mind rest so easily; the sounds of the rain were still the same I heard my whole life, but it never felt this different before. The thunder breaking in the distance was a painful reminder of that.

Elympios was so full of thunder, stormy skies and ugly noises, and it all just kept reminding me of everything I always fought against. And there I was, standing among people who foolishly relied and depended on the very threat that was killing their world. How did it end up like this?

My thoughts were forced to come back to my current reality when I heard the crack of a door being opened behind me. I turned my head around quickly and tried to look through the dim lighting, but it took me a moment to realize there was a little girl peeping through the opening. As soon as our eyes made contact, the door closed again.

"Elle?"

I was sure she wouldn't respond, but the door opened again and I almost didn't hear her whispers when the girl finally replied.

"Milla? You can't sleep?"

"I never stayed at an inn, especially one here…" I confessed for a reason I didn't even know. "Why are you still awake? Where's Ludger?"

Another loud thunder followed my question, and Elle blinked as she clenched her teeth. It was so fast I couldn't tell if she even noticed her own reaction, though it was enough to let me understand what was happening. She was afraid of the storm outside, and I already knew that girl enough to also know that she wouldn't admit it.

"He's very tired…" Elle sighed. "We had a long day. I think he fell asleep as soon as he closed his eyes," she continued, looking down as she spoke.

"You don't want to bother him?"

"That's not it!" Elle exclaimed, but her defensiveness gave her lie away in a heartbeat. "He has a lot to do and I can take care of myself!"

"I see," I tried to play along. "Well, I'm not busy right now, so we could do something together if you want."

"Really?" Her voice was finally starting to lighten up. "Like what?"

"Hmm… I'm not sure… How about I tell you a story? That's what my sister used to do when I couldn't sleep at night."

Those days felt so distant, so surreal now. Like it all happened in an alternative universe, so to speak, literally, and it still left a bitter taste in my mouth.

My sister…

"Bedtime stories are for little kids!" Elle complained, and her cries were loud enough to help me stop my thoughts from drifting there. "Why don't we do something else?"

"Well, it's really late and both of us should be resting for the fights we'll probably have to face tomorrow." My explanation was very silly, but I hoped she could understand what I was trying to do. "You've never heard one of my stories, have you? How can you be so sure it's for little kids? You're a strong girl, aren't you?"

My compliment almost made her smile and even her eyes looked more relaxed, but she still wouldn't allow herself to let her guard down.

"What's your story about, then?"

"Hm, let's see… Like many stories, it's about a little girl, but she wasn't just any girl. She had a very special mission."

"A mission?"

Now, her eyes were wide open and fixed on mine. I didn't think I'd be able to get her attention so easily.

"Yes, a mission" I nodded. "You see, this girl had a lot of bad guys to fight so she could protect her world even though she was still very, very young."

"That sounds scary!" Somehow, her eyes looked even bigger when she talked. "Did she make it? Was she afraid of those bad guys?"

"How could she not be?" The truth was harsh, but I didn't want to cover it. "But she didn't have a choice. It was her mission since she could remember. She wasn't any other girl and no one else in the world could do what she did, or replace her in any way. Well, no one can be replaced, so I guess saying that is a bit silly, right?"

"Probably…" she still didn't move her eyes away from me. "So, what happened?"

"Well, to answer your question, she did make it. Do you want to know how?"

"Yes! Why do you think I asked?"

Her comment made me giggle. She was too smart for her own wellbeing sometimes.

"Because she had a lot of help from her sister!" I continued. "She knew she was not alone, and that her sister would always protect her and hold her hand any time she needed, so she was fearless to stand up against anyone who dared to threaten the world she loved so much she'd fight to protect even though she was so young. And she wanted to protect her sister, too, obviously…"

I bit my lip. That was as far as I could go, and I couldn't remember the words I was about to say anymore. Those two little girls, Elle and the girl from my story, were much more alike than anyone could guess at a first glance, but I started wondering… Could Elle see it, too?

Luckily, she took me away from those thoughts again.

"Of course she did!" Her excited yell made me smile. "They were family! They loved each other, right?

"You can bet on that!" I smiled. That was true… wasn't it? "This girl had nothing to be afraid of. There wasn't a thing in the world she couldn't face knowing they were there for each other! So, do you still think my story is for little kids?"

My ears were already prepared for another cry of excitement, but she crossed her arms and frowned, and then she started staring at me with a very pouty face.

"Hmm, I can't say. I guess I'd need a lot more details to know that. Who did they fight? How was the fight? What happened after that? What is that little girl doing now?"

"Well, for someone who wasn't interested in bedtime stories, you have a lot of questions," I smirked. "How about I tell you all about their first fight next time?"

"Next time?" Elle raised an eyebrow.

"Well, what fun would it be if I just said everything?"

"That's not fair! I guess I'll go back to bed then…"

The rain was almost gone, and I could barely hear it now. The thunder stopped, too, so that was a good idea. We should both head to bed.

"If you want to know what happens, you know where to look for me."

I smiled again and we wished each other a good night. But, when she went back to her room, I still stood exactly where I was, thinking about everything I'd just said. It was true that I didn't belong in this world, but maybe I could play a different part in the story this time. I could see so much of my younger days and myself in Elle's struggles that just thinking about it was enough to make me feel as if my feet would sink from the ground.

Maybe that girl would finally have sweet dreams now that the storm was gone. Would I be able to have sweet dreams, too, if I found a way to make it through the storm surrounding me now?


End file.
